


Recess

by EveandJohnny



Series: The Radiologist [4]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Asexual Character, F/M, Forced Outing, M/M, and a hot and steamy dance scene, but also so much fluff, that causes a little anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-06 01:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12807009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveandJohnny/pseuds/EveandJohnny
Summary: The gang goes on their much needed vacation and Raleigh notices that he's definitely NOT made for Australian weather conditions.





	Recess

Chuck was laughing. Laughing so hard he was crying. He watched with glee as Raleigh shed more and more clothes on their way up the mountain. “Mate, if I was you I would keep at least the shirt on. Otherwise you’ll look like a bloody lobster by the end of the day” he commented and bent down to scratch a panting Max behind the ears.

“Fuck you” Raleigh muttered, mopping his brow with an already soaking wet towel.

Mako was sniggering behind her hand as she followed them up the steep slope. The last in line was Annabelle who was too occupied enjoying the view over the hinterland to pay attention to the squabble in front of her. She, too, wasn’t very keen on the heat but she knew better than to give Chuck any opportunity to poke fun at her. While he was occupied ridiculing Raleigh for his suffering she secretly wiped her brow with a handkerchief. As much as she took pleasure in their shared vacation, and as much as she understood Chuck’s need for warmth and sunlight, she would have surely not chosen Australia in early summer.

“You want to have some more sun screen?” Mako asked and Annabelle noticed that they were waiting for her.

“Oh, er, yeah, thanks.” She took the bottle and rubbed a little of the cream on her bare arms, her face and bent down to put some on her calves. “You want some, too, Raleigh?”

He mumbled his consent and covered his torso in a thick white layer of screen. “Don’t want to end up a like a ‘bloody lobster’.”

Chuck laughed, then started hiking again. After ten minutes, they reached the summit that overlooked low rolling hills covered in trees and pineapple plantations and further on the horizon a peculiar mountain range.

“These are the Glasshouse Mountains, after the Blue Mountains my favourite peaks in the country.” Chuck made a sweeping gesture over the landscape.

“It’s honestly breathtaking” Mako acknowledged completely flashed.

“It is” Raleigh agreed and he had entirely forgotten his anguish from a few minutes ago.

Annabelle only nodded in awe but she still noticed the smug grin on Chuck’s face. She looked back over the countryside and noticed black clouds on the far horizon. “Uh, guys, I don’t want to spoil the party but do you see that?”

“See what?” Chuck was busy cuddling with Max and didn’t even look up.

“The dark clouds over there.” She pointed towards Mount Coonowrin where suddenly lightning struck beside it into a tree. Everyone except for Chuck flinched. “I’d suggest we go down.”

“I can’t believe I struggled up here in the heat for a mere two minutes of view. But I don’t want to be struck by lightning either so, yeah, let’s go down again.” Raleigh rubbed at his face with the towel once more.

Chuck had risen from his crouched position and eyed the clouds. “Suppose you’re right. Ah, fuck.” The cheeriness that been here only seconds ago dissolved into anger and frustration as he stormed past them. In passing, he grabbed Raleigh’s and Mako’s arm and pulled them down the pathway. The clouds were rapidly approaching now and the first drops of rain splattered down on the leafy canopy. Soon Max fell behind but before Chuck could turn around Annabelle had scooped him.

The raining had worsened by now and the hiking party arrived at their off-road car soaking wet. Raleigh spluttered as he got into the passenger seat and set his backpack at his feet. “And you were worried I would get sun-burnt.” He shot Chuck an amused look.

“Now we have to worry that nobody of us catches pneumonia” Annabelle said jokingly when she followed Mako into the car. She pulled her linen shirt over her head and trolled a dry shirt from her bag. Chuck cast her a glance but quickly looked away when he saw that she was fetching her bra from under the shirt. Mako beside her was changing as well.

“So that’s it with our daytrip then?” Chuck sounded terribly discouraged.

“I wouldn’t go this far, man. Why don’t we just look for a nice little café off the road and wait until the rain is over. I would really like to have a look at one of those pineapple plantations.” Raleigh lightly stroked Chuck’s exposed bicep. He felt the tension slowly drain from his boyfriend.

Chuck turned at the next junction. “We can perfectly link the one with the other. There’s a plantation where Mom and Dad always took me when we were in this part of the country. They make the most brilliant pineapple cakes in Queensland.”

“That’s the spirit I’m talking about” Raleigh punched him friendly on the upper arm when he noticed a smile playing around Chuck’s lips.

“Rals, don’t! We will end up in the ditch!” Mako slapped him lightly on the shoulder from the backseat.

“Ah, no worries, Mako. I’m an excellent driver.” Just in that moment a kangaroo hopped onto the street and Chuck had to make an emergency braking.

When everyone had composed themselves Mako shot him a reproachful look but a smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. “I see how excellent you are.”

***

Back in the driveway of the holiday home they were staying at Raleigh jumped out of the car before Chuck even had the chance to put it in park and sprinted inside. Max barked and tried to run after Raleigh on his little stumpy legs.

Chuck looked over his shoulder to the two women in the backseat, caution and worry on his face. “What’s that all about?”

They two shrugged. “Let’s get inside to find out, shall we?” Annabelle suggested and had already opened her door. The others followed her, Chuck locked the car and they walked through the entrance door Raleigh had left open.

“Ray? Sweetie, where are you?” Chuck called and looked into the kitchen/living room. They stopped short when they heard faint splattering noises and Max barking worriedly. It was all coming from the bathroom. “Ray?” Chuck sounded a lot like his dog now. He rushed to the bathroom and came to a skittering halt in the open door. “Oh goddamnit!” he mumbled when he saw his boyfriend kneeling in front of the toilet and throwing up the pineapple cake as well as his breakfast into the bowl. Chuck was immediately at his side and stroked his back while Raleigh slowly stopped vomiting. “Oh sweetie”, Chuck murmured into Raleigh’s hair and kissed his scalp.

Raleigh heaved a sigh and got up from the toilet on shaky knees. He closed the lid, flushed and staggered over to the basin. Chuck passed him a tooth glass filled with water. Raleigh accepted it with a weak smiled and rinsed his mouth.

“Are you okay so far?” Mako asked concerned from the bathroom door. Raleigh turned and gave her a lopsided smile.

“Have felt better before. But it’s okay now. Though I think I’d like to take a nap if you don’t mind.”

“Nobody does” Annabelle said from the other side of the door frame and stepped out of the way when Chuck guided Raleigh through it and up the stairs towards the bedroom.

***

Raleigh had gratefully skipped dinner in favour of another round of sleep. His absence rested heavily on the three of them, and they were accordingly silent. Mako’s trouts were amazing and both Chuck and Annabelle had complimented her on it, but that has been all of the conversation this evening. After a while, Chuck clatteringly put down his knife and fork.

“Sorry, but this is awful. Not the food, but the, uh, atmosphere. I’ll go up to our room and see how Raleigh’s doing.”

Annabelle shot him a look when he said awful, but Mako nodded sympathetically. He got up, took his plate to the kitchen and then went upstairs.

Annabelle sighed heavily. “I wouldn’t say it was awful. The day has been - adventurous. I liked the walk up the mountain and the cake really was delicious” she said in an effort to lighten the mood a little. Mako put her small hand on top of Annabelle’s and squeezed it, then got up and went to the kitchen with her plate.

“I’ll go to the bathroom” she announced and gave Annabelle a weak smile before she climbed the stairs as well.

Annabelle sighed again. She collected the rest of their meal, the glasses and her plate, and put them all into the dishwasher. Until Mako was done changing, she sat down on the couch in the little winter garden to enjoy the last rays of the sun that had decided to come out again before it was eventually too late,  while reading a few more pages of her book about paediatric radiology. In light of the breach being sealed she may needed to change differentiation. Though she hoped this would still take a little while.

“The bathroom’s free now. Night Anna!” Mako peeked around the door frame between the kitchen and the living room.  

“Thanks and good night Mako.” She waved, shut her book and got up from the couch. Yawning, she walked upstairs. From the room Raleigh and Chuck shared came content snoring. She smiled to herself, then continued on to the bathroom where she changed into her nightdress and brushed her teeth. When she came back from the bathroom she noticed a faint light from downstairs. As far as she could remember, she had switched them all off. She stopped in her tracks when she heard low clattering and then suppressed swearing. After a moment of intense listening - the snoring was still going on - she decided to go downstairs and have a look. For all she knew it could be a burglar. Someone local, or at least from the country, because she clearly heard Aussie swearwords when something else fell to the floor. Cautiously, she peeked around the corner and…

…saw Chuck mopping milk off the floor in the kitchen. On the counter stood a carton that had been full when she had last seen it but now was missing a good half of liquid.   
She coughed. Chuck spun around looking anxious. When he saw her his face took an relieved expression.

 “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Why are you up? I thought you went asleep a couple of hours ago.”

He shrugged. “I did but Raleigh’s tossing and turning and nearly kicked me out of bed. No idea what’s going on in his mind.” He picked up the soaking rag and wanted to wash it in the sink when they heard a thud from upstairs.

“What was that? Has Raleigh fallen out of bed?” Immediately, he looked anxious again.

Annabelle frowned. “I think it came from our bedroom.” Before she had finished the sentence she was at the stairs and Chuck followed her. When she quietly opened the door to the room she shared with Mako she saw her lying on the ground, limbs sprawled in all directions. Mako hadn’t woken up from the fall but was muttering something to herself. Annabelle knelt beside her and tried to listen. Her eyes went wide when Mako groped around in the air. Mako’s voice became clearer, albeit the words were still a little slurred: “Rrahleigh”. Annabelle looked up to Chuck who stood, arms crossed, in the door frame. He narrowed his eyes.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Annabelle asked whispering.

“I have an assumption. Maybe they’re ghost-drifting” he answered in an equally hushed voice, though sounding somehow offended. Before Annabelle could respond to that he pushed himself off the door way with the shoulder and walked out of the room. Annabelle scooted a little away from Mako when she tried to grasp her arm. A second later, Chuck came back, affirmation on his face.

“Yep, they’re definitely ghost-drifting. I think it’s better when we take her to him.” It was clear that for whatever reason he wasn’t very happy about it but scooped Mako’s feather-light body up into his strong arms anyway. Annabelle followed him, just to see what would happen. When Chuck laid Mako on the bed beside Raleigh, they immediately found each other in their sleep, embracing and touching each other constantly. Chuck looked away and pushed past Annabelle who gazed at the couple on the bed for a minute. When it became clear that they were about to sleep together in more than one sense, she quickly turned away as well, cheeks blushing, and closed the door behind her.

Downstairs, she found Chuck on the couch of the winter garden, a steaming cup in his hand.

“Do you want some warm milk and honey, too?” he asked, indicating to the drink in his hand. After a moment of consideration, she nodded. He got up, pushed his mug in her hand, and walked over to the kitchen to make a new one. She sat down on the couch cross-legged and sipped on the hot drink while she watched him waiting for the microwave to beep, broad back turned to her and tense shoulders visible under the thin fabric of his tee-shirt.

He joined her on the couch, sitting sideways on it with his knees pulled up to his chest.

“So, what is this ghost-drifting?” she asked after a while, gazing at him intensely.

“When you drift, you not only share memories but emotions. The connection between you and your drift partner is so strong that it usually also remains in some way after the drift has ended. Then your actions are sometimes synched, for example, you both say the same thing at the same time. When it’s possible, you have sex because this is the closest you can get to the experience of a neural handshake without the needed equipment” he explained calmly as if he was giving her a lecture.

“And when it’s not possible? Like you and your dad, you don’t have, uh, sex?” She fidgeted with the hem of her nightdress and didn’t dare to look at him but he could tell that she was beet-red.

“No, we certainly don’t. Though the things between us have been particularly messed up and were never really normal. The only time we properly talked was in the drift, outside it we could barely hold a conversation without insulting each other. We more or less communicated via Max. But it has gotten better since, er, I’m back.”

Annabelle stayed silent and processed what he had just told her. 

When she still hadn’t stirred after several minutes he touched her knee gently. “You okay?”

“Huh?” She jolted, looking around confused, and when she became aware of him she looked guilty. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

Chuck smiled and waved. Then he laid his hand on her knee and asked “Have you ever drifted with anyone? Like, I know you never trained as a pilot but maybe, you know, for research purposes?”

Annabelle slowly nodded. “I have, though only once. I drifted with Pentecost right after my second day at the Shatterdome. He insisted on it. He thought it was crucial for me to understand the drift in order to treat potential damages afterwards.”

Chuck’s eyes were wide. “You drifted with Stacker?”

Annabelle shrugged. “He said he would take nothing into the drift, so I shouldn’t need to worry about compatibility.” She entangled her legs and tucked them under herself, causing her to lean closer to Chuck. He had changed position as well; he now sat cross-legged and rested his elbows on his spread knees.

“How was it? I mean, for someone who has never drifted before, not even in a simulator. Did you have a kwoon session beforehand?”

She shook her head. “No, he came to me in the evening and asked me if I was interested in a little experiment. I was surprised because I had judged the Marshall to be less rash. He led me down to the simulator where the J-Techs had already prepared everything for a neural handshake. I was confused but he said that I didn’t need to worry. And he was right. From his side wasn’t coming anything, it was all just…silence.” She kneaded her hands in the recollection of this memorable event. “I knew roughly what a drift meant, I had read about it and the possible neural consequences for the human brain. But going through it myself was hard. There were many memories resurfacing that I had never wanted to see again. And I have to admit that I got stuck in one of them, I couldn’t just let it flow.” Her voice had become quieter and quieter, and Chuck had to lean very close to hear the rest of her statement.

Chuck patted her hands that had come to rest in her lap. “Hey, no need to scold yourself. That happens to literally everyone who drifts for the first time. We all got overwhelmed by the flood of memories. You really shouldn’t be ashamed.”

Annabelle looked up, not yet convinced, but her expression had softened. “If you think so. But what was the matter with you earlier? You nearly looked jealous when you carried Mako to Raleigh.”

Chuck’s lips tightened. “I don’t like to admit it – but I am. I feel that I’m missing out on something important. I will never ghost-drift with Raleigh and even though I know it’s not all the time a positive thing I feel that Mako will always be one or two steps ahead of me when it comes to understanding Raleigh.”

“Does he let you feel that, I mean, do you think he keeps secrets from you?”

Now it was Chuck’s turn to nervously play with the drawstring of his shorts. “No, man, _he_ doesn’t. He’s the most honest and open person I’ve ever seen. But I still envy his relationship with Mako. Gosh, I’m such a dickhead!” He buried his face in a pillow and plunged forward, lying face-first on the couch now.

Annabelle hid her smile behind her hand, even though Chuck wasn’t looking, and patted his head with the other. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Irrationality is a treat that comes with every relationship. You accept it and then move on with your life. If you haven’t talked with Raleigh about it you should; and I’m certain that he will tell you that there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” She stroked his hair in a soothing rhythm and started to hum a song. That made him rise again.

He grinned. “Is it that mysterious mill-song again?”

She smiled. “Funny that you remember it. Yes, it is.”

He entangled his legs and moved closer to her. “How can I forget? By the way, I listened to the rest of the album, or well, I gave it a try. Really not my cup of tea.”

She slid closer to him as well until he could put his arm around her. “I’m glad you listened to it at all. And I would have been surprised if you’ve actually liked it.”

“Yeah, well, you never know. But go ahead humming. By now, I’m pretty tired. And I don’t have to worry that you start shoving me from the couch, or do I?” He grabbed the fleece blanket from the armrest and threw it over both of them.

She shook her head against his shoulder. “No, you don’t. Once I’m asleep I don’t change positions at all.” Then she took up the humming again and closed her eyes, concentrating on his beating heart.

***

In the morning, Chuck woke up and immediately regretted to have slept on the couch. His neck and shoulders ached terribly. He could hardly turn his head do look down on Annabelle who was still snuggled to his side. Her peacefully sleeping form caused him to smile, though. Then he heard someone rummaging in the kitchen. Carefully, so he didn’t wake her, he slid her from his side and got up. His joints creaked reluctantly when he stretched and yawned. Then he sauntered into the kitchen.

“Hey” he said groggily when he reached Raleigh who stood at the worktop filling the coffee brewer. He kissed him on the shoulder and then lightly bit his way up Raleigh’s neck. That earned him a husky groan from his boyfriend.

“Jesus, don’t tell me you’re horny at eight in the morning!”

Chuck smirked. “For you I’m always horny. Besides, I wasn’t with you last night so I have to make it up to you now.” He nibbled at Raleigh’s ear.

Raleigh moaned again before he turned to face Chuck and kissed him rough on the mouth. Chuck responded with equal ferocity.

“For goodness’s sake, get yourself a bed!” Mako, who seemed to have materialized out of thin air, said with half a grin.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. “Says the woman who got to sleep with my boyfriend last night.” He glared at her.

Mako was utterly unimpressed. “Touché. You, however, still don’t want to spoil our breakfast.”

“I second that.” Annabelle appeared beside Mako. “Hot and sweaty bodies, albeit otherwise pleasing to look at, is not the sight I need to my tea.”

Mako pointed at Chuck. “True. Have some deference for our asexual friend.”

Raleigh and Chuck gaped.

Annabelle blushed. “It’s not a big deal, honestly. And I don’t get eczema when I see someone having sex, if that’s what you might expect. Just - don’t treat it as something out of the ordinary, okay?” She wasn’t looking at them.

“Of course, not! We wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. We have questions, though. At least I have” Raleigh said soothingly.

“We can surely talk about it. Just not before I had breakfast. I can’t properly function without.”

“It’s not urgent” Raleigh reassured her but he had trouble articulating the sentence because Chuck was peppering his jaw with kisses. “You see that I have other duties to fulfil first.” He grinned, then gave Chuck a quick kiss before he pulled him out of the kitchen.

“Mako?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s okay that the guys know now but next time I’d like you to not out me to people. I prefer to do it myself when I feel like it.”

Mako looked shocked and needed a moment to process it. Then she pressed a hand on her mouth. “Gosh! I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t think that through. Of course, it’s you who tells people about your sexuality.” She seemed to shrink under her guilt and embarrassment.

“Let us not talk about it anymore. But would you mind if I take my breakfast out? I need a moment for myself.” She didn’t wait for an answer but Mako was at a loss for words anyway. Annabelle grabbed a roll and a banana, and walked outside.

A kookaburra was crying somewhere in the tree tops. She looked up to see if she could make it out. But no such luck. What she saw instead was an open window upstairs from which the noise of a creaking bed and loud moans could be heard. She pursed her lips. The garden gate caught her eye, and out of an impulse she decided to go down to the beach. She was glad to have dressed after getting up from the couch, even though there wasn’t so much difference between her nightgown and her summer dress. Her neck ached a little but nothing bad that a little stretching wouldn’t cure.

The sand was soft and chilly beneath her bare feet, and she left footprints in the moist underground. Seashells littered the beach. She picked one up, examined it for a moment, then threw it into the waves crowned by white spray. A little further ahead lay a log of driftwood where she ambled to now to eat breakfast. Her head was empty of thoughts, but there was an indefinable feeling in her gut. She wasn’t mad at Mako, and she wasn’t sad either. Still, she felt uncomfortable for no apparent reasons. Raleigh and Chuck were her friends; both wouldn’t mock her, or misunderstand her on purpose. She was positive that they would support her, just as she supported them for being gay. She really couldn’t pinpoint what had made her leave the house instead of having breakfast with Mako together.

Annabelle looked out over the sea that was splashing excitedly against the beach, then she let her gaze roam around. To the right, a stray dog was busy digging a hole in the sand. His enthusiasm made her smile with one corner of her mouth but it wasn’t enough to reach her eyes. Her gaze wandered back over the sea over to the left where she suddenly discovered Chuck standing on the wooden boardwalk. She exhaled deeply, nodded, and looked back to the waves. Out from the corner of her eye she saw that Chuck made no attempt to come near her, and soon she had nearly forgotten about his presence.

It was what she cherished so much about their friendship. They could talk in earnest about things that troubled them, but they also could be silent together without it feeling awkward. Mako only was reserved to people she didn’t have a closer relationship to. With her friends, she could sometimes chew your ear up. And the friendship with Raleigh was easy-going but it felt a little shallow every so often. Raleigh was good at cracking jokes, his dry and sometimes dark humour matched her own but she hadn’t had a deep exchange with him so far. When it came to talking about feelings, the conversation would fade out into embarrassing silence.

“Oh, there you are!” Annabelle heard someone calling after a while. She turned her head a little to see Raleigh jogging down the boardwalk. Chuck gestured wildly - he didn’t seemed too happy to see his boyfriend at the moment - and then indicated towards her. She went red and quickly looked away.

“You are such an idiot sometimes. I had thought I was the brash one out of the two of us” Chuck whispered scolding.

“Sorry. I didn’t know she was here, too. But it’s good to know because Mako was worried as she hadn’t said where she was going.”

“Well, that was probably her intention.”

“But she, uhm, I mean, er” Raleigh trailed off, then started again. “Mako, well, she fretted that maybe Anna could do something to herself.”

Chuck looked not convinced. “She would be the last person, believe me. It just wasn’t a nice move from Mako to out her.”

“True, I wouldn’t want to have that, either. At least in the beginning of my realization.” Nervously chewing his lower lip, Raleigh looked over to her.

“Don’t” Chuck snarled quietly. “I see that you want to go over and pester her with your nosy questions. And I tell you: don’t. Wait until she comes to you. She promised to tell you everything and she always keeps her promises.”

Raleigh looked bewildered at Chuck. “Are you not a little confused?”

“Look, I indeed can’t understand what it feels like to not have sexual attraction. But I accept it and that’s all that matters, I think. She certainly already had a hard time because of it.”

“So what do you suggest?”

Chuck raised an eyebrow. “Go home and don’t bother her” he said matter-of-factly. “As if this question seriously needed an answer.” However, he wasn’t too angry with Raleigh so he took his hand and pulled him up the boardwalk. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her waving goodbye.

***

When Annabelle came back to the holiday home Mako sat in the kitchen, anxiously shuffling back and forth on her chair.

“Anna! There you are. Please, believe me, I’m so, so sorry. You cannot fathom how sorry I am. I’m-“ the rest of her sentence was lost when Annabelle hugged her tightly.

“It’s okay, Mako, I know that you didn’t have evil intentions. Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t I promise” Mako’s response was muffled in Annabelle’s shoulder.

Annabelle let go of her. “So what are we two gonna do now?”

“Raleigh and Chuck are out for a bike ride but I didn’t wanna go with them because I didn’t know if you had the key. And I wasn’t in the mood for mountain biking anyway” she added hastily before Annabelle could object. “The hiking tour yesterday was enough adventure for two days. But what do you say about a stroll through the town? I heard they have a charming main street with little shops and also a lovely farmers’ market.”

Annabelle smiled genuine. “Sounds fantastic! I could also use something nice to eat. It’s been a while since breakfast.”

“Perfect!” Mako grabbed her purse from the counter and linked arms with Annabelle.

***

Even though it was in the middle of the week, the town centre was thronged with people. Mako and Annabelle found themselves a cute and cosy café where they enjoyed iced tea and pancakes before they set off to explore the high street. Little shops lined the sidewalks in old-fashioned buildings. They sold organic food, boutiques with what was supposed to be high-end fashion but actually just looked ridiculous, and galleries that showed works from local artists. They avoided the boutiques, browsed the organic shops but didn’t really find anything to their liking and admired the finely crafted paintings. Mako decided to buy an impressionistic painting of the Glasshouse Mountains and Annabelle found a piece of driftwood adorned with dot paintings that had been crafted by Aborigine people.

So they idled away the afternoon, strolling up and down the high street, and pausing in a mesmerizing smelling eucalyptus grove, chatting about everybody and his dog. Mako told Annabelle amusing stories about how Chuck, Max and she had wreaked havoc in the Shatterdomes when they had been younger on the not so rare occasions that their dads had to work in the same place. Annabelle’s laugh was anything but shy and soft, and many turned their heads but they didn’t care. They didn’t think about Operation Pitfall or any other unpleasant memories concerning the PPDC. They were just two young women enjoying their days off.

***

“Raleigh! Chuck! We’re back!” Mako called from the entrance door when they took off their sandals. First, they heard nothing but when they strained their ears they took notice of a faint groan. Mako and Annabelle curiously followed the noise and discovered Raleigh stretched out on the couch, his eyes half-lidded. Every once in a while he mopped his brow with a towel and grumbled when he did so.

“Every move is too much!” he whimpered quietly.

Mako and Annabelle exchanged a look before they burst into simultaneous laughter.

“Not funny” Raleigh growled and fully closed his eyes.

“Where’s Chuck?” Annabelle asked when she put her shopping on the couch table.

Before Raleigh was able to answer they heard wet footsteps on the wooden floor. “Here.” A towel was riding low on Chuck’s hips. He ran one hand through his hair, the other rested on his poised hip.

Mako didn’t bat an eye but Annabelle suddenly had trouble breathing when she saw Chuck’s exposed and well-defined chest.

“Jesus” she muttered under her breath and turned to her shopping.

“How was your day, ladies? You seem to have been successful.”

In the meantime, Mako had made herself comfortable in one of the lounge chairs. “We had a lovely day, indeed. What about you two?”

“Oh, it was sublime. We rode about thirty miles along the coast.”

Raleigh groaned again. “Too much. Way too much.”

“You just need to take a shower then you’ll feel like newly born. Believe me.” Chuck was not the least bit impressed.

Raleigh grunted unintelligible but he eventually got up from the couch. All the way up to the bathroom he muttered complaints under his breath.

“He’s such a diva” Annabelle commented dryly. It was easier to be her confident self when she was not looking at a nearly naked Chuck.

Chuck eyed her with interest. “Are you nervous because of me?” He sounded a little amused, but mostly he was just curious.

“No!” she answered with more emphasis than necessary, grabbed her bags and marched upstairs.

Mako and Chuck simultaneously raised an eyebrow and this made them laugh in synchrony. There was a certain connection between them after all. They just had lost sight of it for a few years.

***

Chuck was positively bubbling with energy. He couldn’t sit still, not even for a second, whereas Raleigh was lazy and groggy, and more or less resembled a sloth moving in slow motion from one lying position to the other.

Chuck eyed his boyfriend with suspicion. “There’s not much going on with you today, is there?”

Raleigh managed to open one eye. “Not much with me today? You were the one to force me on a mountain bike after I hiked up a mountain only yesterday. I’m on fucking holidays after all, so I refuse any more action for at least the rest of the evening. But better not ask me on another adventure tomorrow morning as well.”

Mako chuckled behind her hand. “Therefore that you claim to be so tired you just talked a lot.”

“I needed to make my point clear.”

“But only because Raleigh’s not in the mood doesn’t mean we have to copy him. I would like to go out for the night.” Annabelle said when she entered the living room, a tray with cut-up melons balanced on one arm. 

Chuck gave her an appraising nod. “That’s the spirit! Any particular place in mind?”

“Not really, but I’d like to go dancing somewhere. Not an ordinary disco, though, I want to hear music I _like_.”

“What about a salsa club? I found one just off the main street” Mako said and waved her phone.

Annabelle slowly nodded. “For example.”

Chuck jumped up from the couch and was already nearly at the door. “Then it’s decided!”

“Wait, now?”

“Sure, why not now. And you also don’t have to change, you both look lovely just the way you are.”

Mako only rolled her eyes but Annabelle was glad about the wooziness in the room.

“Yeah, go. The earlier that bouncy ball gets out of here the better. An old man needs his rest” Raleigh murmured from his spot on the couch.

“Idiot” Chuck said affectionately and walked over to kiss his boyfriend on the forehead. Then he extended his arms and Annabelle was the first to get the hint. She linked arms with him, and when Mako had as well, they ambled out of the room.

***

The club was bursting at the seams. Salsa rhythms with heavy bass lines pumped out of the loudspeakers in such a volume that it sent Annabelle’s heart out of beat for a moment. The dance floor overflowed with couples and more were dancing between the tables. Nobody was sitting. It smelled like sweat and lust, and the air seemed to be charged up with electricity.

“I’m gonna get us drinks, okay?” Mako nearly screamed to make herself heard over the loud music. Then she vanished into the crowd.

Chuck led Annabelle to the dance floor. He placed a hand on her back and pulled her towards him. Then they started swaying to the music.

“Let loose a little, okay? You’re a bit stiff in the hip” he whispered into her ear and she felt his hot breath tickle her neck. She inhaled deeply, shut her eyes and moved a little closer to him. His leg parted hers and she pressed against him.

Chuck laughed against her cheek. “Much better.”

“Ah, well, I’m a natural talent” Annabelle chuckled. Their bodies moved in sync and soon she had forgotten that they were dancing among hundreds of sweaty bodies. It was more like they were all on their own.

“Anna” Chuck’s voice was raspy the next time he opened his mouth. A guttural moan rolled in his throat. She knew what was going to come next. She’d seen it countless times when Raleigh and Chuck hadn’t been able to control the hunger for each other any longer. But instead of just kissing her rough he lifted her chin with his calloused thump and his eyes asked for her consent. How could she say no to those steel blue eyes?

“Jesus!” she breathed which earned her one of those carefree smiles he had hardly shown since she’d first met him. The Kaiju war had made him a hard man when he actually was supposed to be still half a boy.

“Was that a yes?” A fluttery feeling grew in her stomach when he flashed her _those_ dimples. Being so freaking adorable and hot at the same time should be seriously treated as a crime.

She told herself to pull herself together. “Yes, it was” she answered with grit and took matters in her own hands.

The kiss was much less soft than their first, it was demanding and possessive and passionate, just like the dance they were sharing. It seemed to last ages but it was only minutes until they had to come up for air.

Serious astonishment was written on his face. “Wow, I didn’t know an asexual could kiss like that?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m neither alga nor am I a stone. Besides, I’m a sucker for sloppy rom-coms.”

“You are? I thought you much more sophisticated.”

She shrugged. “It would be terribly strenuous to be an academic and also only into classic literature and stage plays. I take this opportunity to confess that William Shakespeare does nothing for me and that Romeo and Juliet has probably the most unnecessary deaths any character has ever died in history. I despise it with all my heart.”

They had long stopped in their dancing. Chuck looked at her, fighting to keep a serious face but failed. His laugh was loud enough to partly drown out the music. The couples nearest to them stopped and observed him, not entirely knowing what to make of him. Annabelle took pity on him and pulled him out of the club into the fresh night air.

“You sure know how to destroy a mood” he said after he had calmed down a little.

She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. But it was you who denied me any human desideratum.”

He opened his mouth to ask what exactly ‘desideratum’ meant but she had stepped up to him and put a finger on his lips.

“I wouldn’t object another kiss” she whispered seductively. This new role as a -as what actually?- as a vamp, maybe, felt exciting to her and she wanted to savour the mood as long as it lasted before her insecurity would come back knocking at her door.

Chuck didn’t seem to oppose another kiss, either, because he took her face into both his hands and pressed his lips greedily on hers. When he tried to grind his hips against her pelvis she tenderly stopped him. Involuntarily, her thoughts travelled to the picture of a completely naked Chuck but instead of it arousing her, a cold shiver ran over her back. She abruptly stopped.

“What?” He was bowled over and somehow seemed to be wounded.

She didn’t dare to look into his eyes. “Sorry, I just, I mean, I, uh, better go.” Then she ran off.

“Anna!” he called after her and wanted to follow her but a soft touch on his arm held him back.

Mako had appeared at his side and shook her head. “I think she’d better be alone now.”

“No” he replied stubbornly. “Not this time.” Then he set off after her.

He found her at the beach on the log that seemed to become her new favourite place. The moon shone pale and coloured everything silver. It would have been quite the romantic setting if she hadn’t been so embarrassed. When she heard his footsteps in the sand she got up to leave again.

“Please stay.”

She barely heard it over the whishing of the waves but she froze in her move.

“Are you okay?” His voice was soft and caring, and he stopped a couple of steps from her.

She took a deep breath. “I am.”

“You don’t look that way.” He was utterly unconvinced.

She sighed. “I am, I promise. But when we kissed I” she coughed “imagined you naked. Completely naked. And the sight of you exposed made me uncomfortable. Like, as long as you have certain areas covered, it’s okay.”

“Oh” was all that he came up with as response and he admonished himself for such an idiotic answer.

After a long pause she asked “What is this between us anyway?”

He needed some time to answer, tossing and turning possible comebacks in his head but none of them seemed appropriate. In the end he said “I don’t know” and it was probably the most foolish and simultaneously the truest of them all. He tried to make himself plainer. “We’re not friends with benefits, that much is clear. We’re not lovers, either. But we’re also not just friends. We have, uh-“ he broke off, at a loss for words.

“A most peculiar chemistry” she helped him out and her wording again made him laugh.

“Yeah, that’s one way to put it.” He held out his hand but she shook her head.

“Excuse me, but I need some time to myself tonight. I had more physical contact in this one night than I had in years. I first have to get used to it.” She looked at him for the first time since he had arrived at the beach. “Do we want to go home? Raleigh and Mako are probably wondering were got to.”

He smiled softly. “Not a bad idea. I’m not complaining but a bike tour and a hot salsa dance are more exhausting than I thought.”

She chuckled. “I’m sure you can handle it. You’re young and in pristine condition.”

“You talk about me as if I was a car!” he became jokingly upset.

“A very pricey one” she replied laughing and she was secretly glad that the keyed-up atmosphere between them was dissolving.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading so far! (Especially if you've read the other parts as well.)
> 
> I just can't seem to stop writing about those dorks and I cannot promise that this is the last you've heard of me about it.
> 
> By the way, I submitted an excerpt from "Defiance" on the new Uprising website, jaegeracademy.com, so, uh, wish me luck that I might get accepted?


End file.
